§ Mr. Parkasked the Secretary of State for Energy if any further measures are being considered for cutting fuel consumption, and reducing dependence on imported oil.
Dr. CunninghamAs my right hon. Friend said in his statement on energy conservation to the House last December and repeated in the Green Paper on Energy Policy we shall bring forward further measures to conserve energy as and when necessary. This year we have introduced the energy conservation scheme to encourage energy savings in industry and commerce and the Homes Insulation Bill to provide assistance for private householders. The "Save It", campaign is also being continued and developed, including co-operation with the nationalised fuel industries. Our programme is a continuing one and further measures will be introduced as appropriate. Our aim is to achieve the maximum possible savings that are cost-effective to help prolong the life of our finite energy resources. The steady increasing production of oil from the North Sea has already sharply reduced our dependance on imported oil. It is the Government's declared policy to become self-sufficient as soon as possible.